Skin 'Em Up

Skin 'Em Up
Studio album by The Shakin' Pyramids
Released	27 March 1981
Recorded	January 1981[1]
Genre	Rockabilly
Label	Cuba Libre (Virgin)
Producer	Ali Mackenzie
The Shakin' Pyramids chronology
Skin 'Em Up (1981) Celts and Cobras (1982)

Skin 'Em Up is the debut album from the Scottish neo-rockabilly group The Shakin' Pyramids, released in 1981 by Cuba Libre, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. The album yielded a single in "Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll". The band released three EP's during 1981, two of which were led by tracks from the album: Take a Trip and Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll (backed by original b-side "Alright Alnight" and two new tracks). The album received generally positive reviews and has been described as an important release in the 1980s rockabilly revival,^[2] as well as a favourite among rockabilly collectors.^[3]

Track listing

Side A^[1]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Take A Trip"	2:21
2.	"Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll"	2:27
3.	"Let's Go"	1:44
4.	"Teenage Boogie"	1:27
5.	"Tired 'n' Sleepy (live)"	2:24
6.	"Wild Little Willie"	1:29

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cry Cry Kitten"	2:38
2.	"Sixteen Chicks"	1:48
3.	"Pretty Bad Blues"	1:52
4.	"I Got A Baby (live)"	2:28
5.	"Sunset Of My Tears"	3:28
6.	"Hellbent On Rockin'"	2:06

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
NME	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Trouser Press	(favourable)[7]

Skin 'Em Up has received enthusiastic reviews from a number of notable publications. NME and Rolling Stone both gave the album perfect review ratings, awarding it 10/10 and 5/5, respectively.^[5][6] Trouser Press wrote, "The album pounds furiously, putting your average megawatt metal band to shame. Songs — mostly non-originals — zip by at a blinding rate; the record's only flaw is its brief running time. Then again, if brevity be the soul of this music, the Shakin' Pyramids are a rockabilly Ramones."^[7] Allmusic gave the album a 4.5/5 star rating, calling it an "Explosive bopping and mostly acoustic set...which helped define the short-lived rockabilly revival of the early '80s."^[2]

Personnel

• The Shakin' Pyramids^[1]
  • Davie Duncan – lead vocals, harp, percussion
  • James G. Creighton – guitar, background vocals
  • "Railroad" Ken McLellan – guitar, background vocals
• Additional
  • Nick Clark – bass guitar
  • Brian Young – Engineer

References

1. discogs.com. "Shakin' Pyramids, The - Skin 'Em Up". Retrieved 2010-01-02.
2. allmusic.com. "Skin 'Em Up". Retrieved 2009-12-02.
3. rockabilly.nl. "The Shakin' Pyramids: The Streets of Glasgow". Retrieved 2009-12-02.
4. Allmusic review
5. "Skin 'Em Up review, 1985-3-21". NME.
6. The Rolling Stone Record Guide, Second Edition (1983). "Rolling Stone List of five-star albums". Retrieved 2009-12-03.
7. Trouser Press. "Shakin' Pyramids". Retrieved 2009-12-02.